Fall is an exciting time here at CIP. Students are settling into routines, getting back first grades, and making new friends. Now, call me biased, but despite all of this the thing I find most exciting about fall is the election of the Student Senate. So often the Student Senate elections seem like a popularity contest but this year there was no question that the senators were elected on their merit first and their personalities second.

One never knows what to expect when nomination forms start coming in but I must say that the students this year took matters seriously when putting forth names for potential senators. The chore of tallying election results was a relative breeze, with our senators winning by a landslide!

I must say that this is a terrific group of young people to work with. All of the senators are incredibly dedicated to serving their classmates and working together in a respectful manner. Senate meetings often have the potential to yield little input or turn into shouting matches but this year’s group is always eager to share ideas and listen to one another’s opinions.

In the two short weeks that the senators have been meeting they have volleyed around ideas from creating a Student Senate suggestion box where the student body could provide input on what they would like the senate to focus on to hosting an Iron Chef style cooking contest. This group of students have already put forth great ideas this semester and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so.

In the past it has often been a real challenge to get the students to either come to the meeting or participate in a meaningful way and as their advisor it can be immensely frustrating to see students with the privilege to be a senator brush it off so easily. This year I can honestly say that I truly look forward to four o’clock on Friday afternoons when this great group of minds comes spilling into my office bubbling over with ideas and exhilaration.

One thing is for certain, the student body here at CIP is lucky to have such involved peers on their side.